 |
|
| Friday, August 4, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
|
|||
|
City observes ‘black day’ LUDHIANA The city would observe a bandh tomorrow and people from all walks of life would join a protest march from Gur Mandi to Clock Tower, where a rally would be held and effigies of military rulers of Pakistan would be burnt. In a joint meeting of a large number of social, religious and cultural bodies, including a few political groups, it was demanded that the National Conference government in Jammu and Kashmir, headed by Dr Farooq Abdullah be dismissed forthwith, the state be handed over to the army, adequate security be provided for Amarnath yatra and financial assistance be provided, both by the centre and the state government to families of those killed by the terrorists on the pattern of compensation given to sikh families in Chittisinghpura, early this year. Prominent among those, who attended the meeting were Mr Sunil Mehra, councillor and president of the Shivaratri mahotsava committee, Mr Kamal Gupta, general secretary, Sri Vaishno Devi Seva dal, Mr Mohinder Aggarwal, general secretary, Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal, Mr Jagdish Tangri, president, Hindu Shiv Sena, Mr Raju Bindra, president, Hindu Chetna Manch, Mr Ashok Jindal, president, Rice Traders Association, Mr Hira Lal Goyal, president, Chaura Bazar Association, Mr Som Nath Malhotra, president, Shauri Sarak Association, Mr Mohinder Jain, president, Talab Mandir Road Shopkeepers Association, Mr Sunil Tangri, president, Gur Mandi Union and Mr Vijay Walia, president, Girja Ghar Traders Union. Meanwhile, the Punjab pradesh congress committee (PPCC) has strongly reacted to massacre of devotees by the militants in J and K and has termed it as a major security lapse and a failure on the part of the Centre to anticipate the strike by the terrorists and to take preventive measures. The PPCC general secretary Mr Nahar Singh Gill has said in a statement that Union Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani should own the moral responsibility for the killings and quit and the J and K government headed by Mr Farooq Abdullah be dismissed and the state put under President rule. In a separate statement, PPCC member Parminder Mehta has written a letter to President K.R.Narayanan demanding dismissal of Mr Advani, who had admitted certain 'security lapses' for the Amarnath yatra. He wanted the government to hand over the charge of the state to the Army and provide adequate compensation to families of the yatris killed in the shootouts. Meanwhile, Shiv Sainiks also planned to stop the Delhi-Lahore bus here to protest against the killings but the bus was not scheduled to run on Thursday. There was much tension in the city with the Shiv Sainiks positioning themselves at several vantage points on the Ludhiana bypass and beginning a futile wait for the bus. The first siege had been laid near Sherpur Chowk, the next at Shivpuri Chowk and the third near Hotel Amaltas. After a long wait of two hours, the 30-odd protesters from the first two vantage points gathered at the last position and later led by their leaders, including Mr Neeraj Verma, Mr Sanjay Gautam and Mr Sanjeev Mittal, staged a dharna and blocked traffic for over 15 to 20 minutes on the GT Road. The Shiv Sainiks then smashed glass bottles on the road, made a human chain and also raised anti-Pakistan and pro-Hindu slogans. They also criticised the Farooq Abdullah government for its failure in providing adequate security to the pilgrims. Later, the police reached the spot and made arrangements for the restoration of traffic. Mr Verma also gave a call for a Ludhiana bandh on Friday and said that they would now halt the Delhi-Lahore bus on Friday when it passed through the city. |
|
Jagadguru for
dismissal of J&K Govt LUDHIANA The Jagadguru, who has been here for the past 18 days in connection with his traditional Chaturmas stay, said at a press conference at Sanskrit Vidyalaya, Haibowal, that Mr Farooq Abdullah should step down to atone for the sins committed against humanity by his government. In case he does not step down, the National Conference government should be dismissed and President’s rule imposed in the state. The Jagadguru was of the view that unless the very name of Pakistan was removed from the world map, such massacres of innocent people will go on. To achieve this objective, there has to be a reunion of the countries to form an ‘Akhand Bharat’ which would be beneficial to the Hindus and Muslims alike. Both communities have been living together for ages and there was no reason as to why they could not live together in complete harmony while following their respective religions. Regarding the current militancy in J & K, the religious head called upon the government to immediately abrogate Article 370 and depute persons like Mr Jagmohan and Mr K.P.S. Gill to crush militancy in the state. He said those responsible for the carnage should be apprehended and handed over to the Army. Replying to a question, the Jagadguru said he was not opposed to the proposed talks between the Centre and the Hizbul Mujahideen, as possibilities of blood thirsty fanatics returning to sanity were always there. Meanwhile, Beopar Mandals of Chaura Bazar, Saban Bazar and Gur Mandi observed a black day in protest against the gruesome killings by hoisting black flags Mr Sunil Mehra, president, Shivratri Mahotsav Committee, told The Tribune that on a call given by the joint action committee of nearly 100 traders and religious organisations, a bandh would be held in the town tomorrow. A protest march would be held from Gur Mandi to Chowk Ghanta Ghar, where prominent leaders, including the Shankaracharya, would address a rally. Effigies of Gen Pervez Musharraf and Farooq Abdullah would be put to flames. Mr Mehra called upon the Panjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to sanction grants of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed in the carnage as he had done in the case of Chhatisinghpora. Mr Mehra also called upon the Centre to ensure that the Amarnath Yatra continued till August 15 — the stipulated period. |
|
Twenty injured as bus overturns LUDHIANA The Jagadguru, who has been here for the past 18 days in connection with his traditional Chaturmas stay, said at a press conference at Sanskrit Vidyalaya, Haibowal, that Mr Farooq Abdullah should step down to atone for the sins committed against humanity by his government. In case he does not step down, the National Conference government should be dismissed and President’s rule imposed in the state. The Jagadguru was of the view that unless the very name of Pakistan was removed from the world map, such massacres of innocent people will go on. To achieve this objective, there has to be a reunion of the countries to form an ‘Akhand Bharat’ which would be beneficial to the Hindus and Muslims alike. Both communities have been living together for ages and there was no reason as to why they could not live together in complete harmony while following their respective religions. Regarding the current militancy in J & K, the religious head called upon the government to immediately abrogate Article 370 and depute persons like Mr Jagmohan and Mr K.P.S. Gill to crush militancy in the state. He said those responsible for the carnage should be apprehended and handed over to the Army. Replying to a question, the Jagadguru said he was not opposed to the proposed talks between the Centre and the Hizbul Mujahideen, as possibilities of blood thirsty fanatics returning to sanity were always there. Meanwhile, Beopar Mandals of Chaura Bazar, Saban Bazar and Gur Mandi observed a black day in protest against the gruesome killings by hoisting black flags Mr Sunil Mehra, president, Shivratri Mahotsav Committee, told The Tribune that on a call given by the joint action committee of nearly 100 traders and religious organisations, a bandh would be held in the town tomorrow. A protest march would be held from Gur Mandi to Chowk Ghanta Ghar, where prominent leaders, including the Shankaracharya, would address a rally. Effigies of Gen Pervez Musharraf and Farooq Abdullah would be put to flames. Mr Mehra called upon the Panjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to sanction grants of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed in the carnage as he had done in the case of Chhatisinghpora. Mr Mehra also called upon the Centre to ensure that the Amarnath Yatra continued till August 15 — the stipulated period. |
YAD to plant saplings LUDHIANA, Aug 3 — The Youth Akali Dal (YAD) will launch a tree plantation and population control drive from Patiala on August 4. The party president Mr Amrik Singh Aliwal, and other senior SAD(B) functionaries will plant saplings in the state library to formally open the campaign. Giving this information, the YAD general secretary, Mr Agya Pal Singh, said that more than 1000 school children, carrying mottos and banners on tree plantation and population control, would take out a march through the city. On the conclusion of the march at state library, saplings would be planted by the YAD and SAD(B) leaders. Thereafter, a seminar on ‘more rights for village panchayats’ would be held, in which the Punjab Finance Minister Mr Kanwaljit Singh, Punjab Minister, Raja Narinder Singh, OSD to Chief Minister Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, chairman of the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board, Mr Tejinder Pal Singh Sandhu, among others, will participate. |
|
Academic scenario in the city THE academia of the city is worth taking notice of. It is difficult to count the names of the colleges here on the fingers of both hands. Another round is necessitated. Like the ancient Greek city of Athens, Ludhiana cannot boast of a Plato or an Aristotle. Still the academies here are no less renowned than the proverbial Greek academy. The subjects taught in the colleges are mind-boggling as the bug of IT (information technology) has bitten almost all institutions. Now there is no end as every end has a new beginning. At the postgraduate level, the colleges in the city are vying with one another in a mood of healthy competition. Nearly two decades ago when I joined the local Government College on my transfer from Kapurthala, it was the only co-educational institution in the city where English was taught at the postgraduate level. On their part, Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women (Gujjarkhan campus) and SDP College for Girls (Daresi Ground) were meeting the needs of only the girls for gaining postgraduate degrees in English literature. Now there is a heartening news that GGN Khalsa College has started co-educational classes of MA English from the current session. Earlier, the boys who could not get admission here used to go to GHG Khalsa College, Gurusar, Gurusar Sadhar for their M.A. English degrees. This college where I happened to be for five years from 1987 in 1992 is indeed an oasis in a desert. In its own unobtrusive way, GHG Khalsa College is a passport to foreign lands. Moreover, postgraduation in English has always been the realisation of a dream for many a student. Paradoxically, the knowledge of English has been gaining considerable importance in the academic world in the recent years. Chaucer believed in “the more, the merrier.” So does GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana. I wanted to know from Principal Kuldip Singh as to why such a decision, though welcome, has been taken at this stage. Is it because he has soft corner in his heart for this subject as he himself is professor of English? “Not exactly, to be honest. It is in fact the result of the pressure of the present times. English is almost an Indian language now. The Indian English literature has created ripples in the still waters of the literature in the Indianian languages. Above all, we have a very competent staff for teaching postgraduate classes and the candidates have also given us a good response.” Teaching English to postgraduate classes, as I know, is quite thrilling. But the primary need is of good students, otherwise the teacher cannot give his best to the class. What has Prof. T.S. Anand, the coordinator, to say on this issue? “We have admitted such candidates as are genuinely interested in the study of this subject. Still for whetting their interest, we shall form selective groups of 10 students each to help them make up their deficiencies. In the case of science graduates, we shall hold weekly seminars wherein indepth study of the various aspects of literature would be undertaken. Our emphasis would be to enable our students to articulate their viewpoints without any inhibition.” There are more than a dozen colleges in Ludhiana where education is being imparted at the postgraduate level in a number of disciplines. In some colleges, such as Govt. College (Boys) and Khalsa College for Women (Civil Lines) five to seven subjects are being taught for the degrees of MA, MSc. and M.Com. Still there are some other courses of study, such as MBA, public administration, sociology and law, which the local colleges have not been able to introduce for lack of means. Research work after postgraduation is non-existent in this megacity. In view of this academic scenario, there is need for the establishment of University Regional Centre in Ludhiana which would also meet the academic demands of the towns on the periphery of this city. Moreover, this step would rejuvenate the Panjab University Extension Library, which at present is starving for lack of funds. |
|
AISSF rejects Daler’s apology LUDHIANA “The pop singer should personally come here and explain to the people how such a lapse took place”, Mr Sandhu said in a talk with TNS here today. Mr Gurmeet Singh,Manager, Operations, Daler Mehndi Entertainment Private Limited, met Mr Sandhu, here yesterday and offered his sincere apologies for the hurt which might have been caused to the Sikh community due to certain scenes in his latest video Ek Dana. Mr Gurmeet Singh also handed over to him a signed press release issued by Daler Mehndi in Canada on the subject, which contained an appeal to the Sikh community. Daler explained in the appeal that the purpose of his album was to popularise Sikh culture. He regretted that things did not always work according to the plan. He felt sorry for those video clips that had hurt the feelings of the community. These clippings had been deleted from the video. Mr Sandhu said he was not satisfied with the so-called apology offered by Daler Mehndi through an official of his company. “He should himself come here and explain to the Sikh community how all this happened. He should address a press conference in Ludhiana, where the issue was first raised by the AISSF”. Mr Harinder Singh Narang, counsel for Mr Sandhu, said the matter could be resolved only if Daler Mehndi himself came here to assuage the hurt feelings of the Sikh community. He noted that the objectionable portions of the video of the song had been deleted. |
Showers lash city LUDHIANA While the city was lashed yesterday by torrential showers in the morning for about an hour and briefly in the afternoon and evening as well, today’s showers, caused by clouds ushered in by a north-west wind, brought down the minimum temperature appreciably providing relief from the sultry conditions prevailing for the past so many days . Though the sun was out later for most of the day, it was not so humid outdoors owing to the mild eastern breeze that blew over the city. |
|
Birthdays are celebration time LUDHIANA Lord Krishna's birthday is fast approaching and people have started decorating temples. There will be Krishna Leelas and many tableaus will be taken out. The temples will be well lit up. People will fast and pray. A sort of mela will be on outside the temples. Similarly, all gurus and other gods are felicitated. Children love birthdays and look forward to theirs, for it means a lot of gifts, a day of fun, streamers, decorations and 'return gifts' which the 'birthday child' is to give to his friends. Nowadays, the parties for the kids are getting very lavish. Thankfully, such parties are rare. Usually the children are agog with so much excitement that they cannot wait to open the gifts as soon as they can. Politicians have the best birthdays. Their followers weigh them in silver coins or wheat or expensive items. Whoever wants a favour from a minister, just needs to give an expensive gift. How do the rich and famous celebrate their birthdays? They can fly their guests to an island and have an exclusive bash, or they can have a party on a ship, or take their guests to some exorbitantly priced exclusive retreat. What about the holy people? Their birthdays are celebrated with great pomp and show. The devotees line up to have a darshan of their guru and offer money, gold and diamonds. Some offer plots to make the guru an ashram, while some donate bricks for construction. For the common people, birthdays have little or no importance. Most villagers do not remember their birthdays. They may have a vague idea. A birthday is something special. Celebrate it, enjoy it and have a good time. Happy birthday! |
|
FCI move on paddy purchase flayed LUDHIANA According to the Punjab state secretary of the MCPI, Mr Kuldip Singh, the FCI decision will adversely affect the farming community in Punjab as the state agencies, entrusted with the work of procurement, are not able to purchase the paddy brought to mandis for dearth of funds. The MCPI, he added, was strongly opposed to the anti-farmer decision and the state committee of the party had decided to hold district level and town- level meetings in the state to voice its protest against faulty economic policies of the government. The meeting also took a serious note of the increasing incidents of looting and dacoities by the armed gangs in the state, which spoke volumes of the failure of the state government's law enforcement machinery. The government ought to take immediate steps to safeguard the life and property of the people and to tone up the police administration in order to improve the law and order situation, the party added. |
Ghalib flays
CM’s stand on US Nagar LUDHIANA Mr Ghalib said in a press statement here today that the Chief Minister, as also the other Akali Dal leaders, had assured the people of Udham Singh Nagar that the district would not be permitted to be included in the newly carved hill state of Uttaranchal, but by according their approval to the move, Mr Badal had committed a ‘sin’. He said the claim of the Punjab Chief Minister, who was also a member of the three-member committee on Udham Singh Nagar, on the report submitted to Parliament, was nothing but a pack of lies. Mr Ghalib further remarked that if the NDA Government at the Centre refused to listen to the Punjab Chief Minister, who also headed the ruling SAD(B), it would be in the fitness of things for the party to withdraw support from the Vajpayee government without caring whether the BJP, an ally of SAD(B) in Punjab, did the same and create yet another crisis for Mr Badal. The sentiments of Mr Ghalib were echoed by former Punjab minister Malkiat Singh
Dakha, District Youth Congress Chief Pawan Diwan and PPCC Secretary Krishan Kumar Bawa. |
Gang of contract killers busted LUDHIANA, Aug 3 — The Jagraon police today claimed to have busted a five- member gang of contract killers and thieves and recovered a big haul of arms and ammunition from them. In a press release, the SSP Jagraon, Mr Jaskaran Singh informed that the police had achieved a major breakthrough with the arrest of Surinder Kumar, alias Sinder, Gurdit Singh, alias Sonu, Gurdeep Singh, alias Bitta, Charanjit Singh Channi and Manmohan Singh, alias Bantu. He informed that the interrogation of all the accused had revealed that they had struck a deal for Rs 50,000 with Ms Jaswant Kaur of Daulatpur, as supari for eliminating her brother-in-law and Rs 10,000 out of this amount had already been advanced to them. It is learnt that they had also been given supari for the killing of Dr Tara Singh of Lakha village. They had killed Sant Darshan Singh of the same village and had tried to loot a petrol station at Singhanwala village. The accused were reported to be active in Bathinda, Moga, Baghapurana and Jagraon and were facing trials in different courts for thefts of vehicles and possession of illegal weapons. The SSP informed that the police had nabbed all the accused from behind the bus stop of Gurdwara Gurusar Kaunke while they were planning some crime in the Jagraon police district. A .32 bore revolver, a .12 bore pistol, .315 bore pistol, one knife and eight live cartridges were recovered from them. Three stolen scooters had also been recovered from them. |
|
Five persons arrested LUDHIANA In a press release, the SSP, Mr Kuldip Singh, informed that Inspector Paramjit Singh, SHO, Focal Point, was on a routine patrolling when he received secret information that Mukesh Kumar alias Sonu, Avtar Singh alias Mintu, Vikramjit Singh alias Bablu and Gurpreet Singh and Harpal Kumar were hiding behind some bushes near Gobindgarh canal bridge. The police raided the place and arrested the five accused. One country-made .12 bore pistol with two rounds and four kamanidar knives were seized from them. |
|
Sub-Inspector
booked LUDHIANA According to information available, SI Nirmaljit Singh has been booked under Section 382 and 364 of the IPC at the focal point police station. It is alleged by the complainant, Lakhwinder Kumar, that he had borrowed Rs 15,000/- from the wife of the accused, Manju Pradhan, at 10 per cent rate of interest and that he was regularly paying back the interest for the past 11 months. He further alleged that when he went to pay the monthly instalment to Manju Pradhan last month, she refused to take the instalment and instead demanded the entire principal amount. When Lakhwinder Kumar expressed his inability to pay back the money, the accused on June 26 along with his wife and one Chanderbhan apprehended him near Giaspura railway crossing and snatched his tractor with registration number PUI-4775, beat him up and illegally confined him at their residence. He also alleged that they threatened him and said that he would get his tractor back only after he returned their
loan |
Liquor contractors on warpath LUDHIANA, Aug 3 — The battle for monopolising the liquor trade in Ludhiana, the biggest contributor to the total government revenue collected from excise, between members of the old cartel and the new entrants in the trade, under a revised policy in the current financial year, has hotted up, with both groups going all out to wreck each other. The auction of liquor vends for the current year had netted Rs 125 crore. The contractors comprising the old cartel, which had virtual monopoly over the liquor trade last year, is commonly known as Garcha group, as Mr Man Singh Garcha, a brother of Punjab minister, Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, is the man behind the show. The other group of contractors, which had bagged the lion’s share of nine groups, out of a total of 11 groups in the city, is said to be enjoying the patronage of Punjab Excise and Taxation Minister, Mr Adesh Partap Singh Kairon. Right from day one of the opening of the new liquor vends, the two groups have been at loggerheads, levelling allegations against each other. The Department of Excise and Taxation and the police are also working at cross purposes, reportedly under pressure from political bigwigs. While Mr Kairon claimed that with the implementation of the new excise policy, the government had been able to smash the liquor cartel, the old contractors alleged that the whole drama had been enacted by the minister to enable his favourite contractors gain control of the trade. They further alleged that the auction of vends was anything but fair. The members of the erstwhile cartel charged that rather than smashing it, the minister had created new cartels of his own favoured liquor contractors, in all major cities of Punjab. Meanwhile, Mr Vipin Kalra, Mr Tarsem Khosla and Mr Jagdish Dhingra, partners in a firm, alleged in a written statement that steps were being taken at the instance of the Excise and Taxation Minister, to implicate two groups of vends owned by their company in such false cases so as to get these vends cancelled and create monopoly in the trade for his favourite contractors, who had nine groups of vends. The minister, they further said, had done the same thing in his home district of Amrtisar. According to them, the department was creating problems for two groups of vends owned by Mr Garcha’s company and challans were being made on false and frivolous grounds. The liquor contractors appealed to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to intervene and put an end to high handedness of the department and the minister. |
|
Best bank branch LUDHIANA The function was organised under the presidentship of Mr K.I. Singh, Senior Regional Manager. Mr S.K. Garg, Manager, read an annual report listing various achievements of the branch. He said that better customer service was the reason behind the success of the branch. Mr K.I. Singh congratulated the branch staff and appreciated the work done by them. He also gave away prizes to staff members. |
|
And now women at petrol stations LUDHIANA Because an artist always makes a rough sketch before he makes a masterpiece. Perhaps it was after realising this that the proprietors of Yuvraj Filling Station near the Sherpur Chowk came up with a concept of petrol pump managed by women. For the past four years, Yuvraj Filling Station, one of the most frequented petrol pumps in the town, is a living example of woman empowerment and shows that women are top-of-the-line managers. They manage home, all relations, household chores, finances. Be it human resource management or finance management — they do it all the time and in addition to this a few gutsy women of this mega city have sought to earn their livelihood by being attendants at a petrol pump. At present there are five women who work at this petrol pump — Jyoti, Rajni, Mona, Bindu and Puja. While Bindu has been employed here for more than one year, the others are fresh recruits with few months experience. Says Mr Yuvraj Dada, their employer, “Generally the women employees leave after some time for other lucrative jobs after they gain the experience at handling all kinds of people and developing the requisite sales techniques.” Most of these women, while talking to TNS said that they enjoyed being women amongst a world dominated by men. Says Rajni, “Though we are in this professional line as bread-winners for our families, it is an exhilarating experience to be considered and actually working at par with our male counter- parts. From filling petrol in vehicles to handing cash to filling the station from the oil tankers, we do it all. In the Indian set-up, women, especially in lower and middle income groups, rarely get an opportunity to work at par with men, and this is where this inherent desire is being fulfilled.” However, these women also face certain difficulties because excessive physical labour is involved and they sometimes also have to tactfully ward off ‘over-zealous’ customers eyeing them. Says Bindu, who has spent almost one-and-a-half-years in this line; “Generally men do not misbehave with us because we hold ourselves with dignity and our conduct is very professional. But if someone does dare to make certain advances, we all get together and then deal with the miscreant tactfully without losing him as a customer.” Mr Yuvraj Dada, when questioned of the likely problems that he could face by employing women as attendants in his petrol pump, says that his employees get quite smart by handling customers from different walks of life and are quite adept at dealing with people. “Otherwise our manager and three other male attendants are also stationed at the petrol pump to assist their female colleagues, if the need so
arises.” |
|
Industry, Finance Depts differ on interest waiver LUDHIANA About two decades back the Punjab government had issued soft loans to various industrial units in the state. The loans were given over a period of seven years and were to be returned only the following year, after the completion of the payment. However, in case any of the industrial units failed to return the loan amount by the stipulated deadline, compound interest would be charged at the rate of 16 per cent per annum. As militancy erupted in the state in the early eighties, most of the industrial units either faced huge losses or closed down. By the nineties, most of the industrial units had shut down. After normalcy returned to the state, the industry also started to revive. The government also started the process of recovering the outstanding loans from industrialists. According to rough estimates, various industrial units in the state are supposed to pay about Rs 100 crore to the government. This is said to be the principal amount only. The interest which accumulated on account of default is said to amount many times more. According to Mr Balwinder Singh Lyalpuri, a leading industrialist, on persistent demand of the industrialists, the Badal government had agreed to waive off the interest on the loans and recover the principal amount only. The Chief Minister announced the government decision on March 2 at SAS Nagar. The government had set the deadline of June 30 for the payment of outstanding dues by various industrial units. These units mostly fall in the small sector. However, due to the reasons best known to the officials the notification of recovery without interest is yet to be issued by the government, although the deadline is over. The industrialists have been blaming the Industry Department for failure to issue the notification even after five months of the announcement by the government in this regard. Mr Lyalpuri pointed out that the deadline passed over a month ago, but the government was yet to issue the notification. However, the sources in the Industry Department appeared to pass the buck over to the Finance Department. Officials in the department disclosed that the case had been moved within days after the Chief Minister’s announcement and had been referred to the Finance Department. It is reportedly pending with the Finance Department, which is yet to give its approval to the proposal. The Finance Department is understood to be not in favour of waiving off the interest, which amounts to more than the principal amount. On the other hand, industrialists have been maintaining that the government cannot go back on its word and will have to accept the principal amount only, even if it takes its own time. The loss would be that of the government. But Finance Department officials maintain that the government should not waive off the interest as it may set a bad precedent, besides causing huge financial loss to the government. They pointed out that no financial institution which lends money waives off the interest. In the end, it is the government which appears to be losing in the differences between its two departments.
|
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
